We have been travelling around Australia since early June. Mainly NT and Queensland. In this time have found some great caravan parks and some dreadful one's. The Blue Heeler which is between Cloncurry and Winton is one of the best places we have found. The caravan Park itself is not that flash but the hospitality was amazing. To stop tourists just pulling in and using the caravan park toilets, they are locked till 5pm and people are asked to use the pub toilets which is part of the caravan park. When the hosts Peter and Pat realised this was a problem for me as I have to use a walking stick, they put us right behind the pub in front of the motel units with our own private little grass site with power so it was a very short stroll to toilets and showers. Wonderful history and lots of photo's in this pub. Well worth an overnight stay and also have a home cooked meal. The big Discovery caravan park at Cloncurry was a shocker, even though we had rung and booked 5 days ahead and asked to be near facilities because of my using a walking stick, we were so far from them my hubby had to drive me to them!!! The facilities were dirty, the laundry was filthy and all they seemed to care about was all the new cabins and catering to the miners. The disabled bathroom/shower was dreadful. Not one shelf or hook to hang anything. We were given a form and asked to fill it in and send it to the Discovery organisation, boy will they be getting that form along with photo's. We also spent 6 days in Mt Isa at The Sunset Caravan Park which was ideally located 5 minutes drive from town. Mt Isa was an extremely interesting place and the caravan park was great. For some of the best hosts around you cannot go past Matilda tourist park at Winton with great entertainment of a night and another one at Illfracombe 24ks from Longreach which also has great entertainment. Of course, I am sure every one has heard of Daly Waters Caravan Park, another great lot of entertainment. These type of parks make you not care about the fact you are on gravel. The drought in the outback is dreadful, bare, dusty paddocks and what stock you see are scrawny and pathetically thin. We donated 2 bales of hay to the Farm Relief which has been highlighted a lot a week or so ago by the Sunrise program on channel 7. We are now in Bourke on the way back to Melbourne and it is a jolt to the system to have to put back on jumpers and jeans!!!!!!!!
Hi - if you think the Discovery CP in Cloncury was bad, then you should have seen Wal's Camp ..... for me, it was the worst place I have ever seen - like some overcrowded refugee camp or Evans Head over the Christmas holiday period ... only worse! It was the recent Rodeo time when we arrived we were directed there by the info centre after enquiring about Corella Dam and told "hardly any water there, if you want to kayak, you will be disappointed". So we took their recommendation and went to Wal's Camp. I have never been so cramped and crowded in a park .... a major safety issue there cause if there was a fire, most of the vans would not be able to get out as the dragon lady running the place insisted there was insufficient room for some vehicle to be left with their van. No room for awnings, and if you want to sit outside your van, you were likely to be either hit by other vehcles or siting 2 metres across from people in the next row of vans all all parked front to rear alongside of you. As I thought more about the situation it left me wondering if the local council may have had something to do with what the info centre told me about Corella Dam? Perhaps council wanted all visitors/travellers to stay in town so there was more income in the town. Anyway, we did call in at Corella Dam and was thoroughly disgusted with what the info centre told us. The dam was not full, but definitely plenty of water there - about 30 vans camped there, boats on the water .......
I was wondering if Wal's Camp get away with the inadequate amenities and overcrowding by being called a "tourist park" and not a "caravan park"? I have spoken with several travellers on the road since leaving Cloncurry and several stayed at Wal's Camp and all had the same bad experience - in particular the attitude of the manager and the fact that no receipts were given!
Sorry - thats my bi**ch for the moment - sure some of you have had worse experiences that this
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The Maccas ....
2013 Avida Esperance Motorhome - based in northern NSW.
Yes know what you mean last year had a look at the Mareeba Rodeo grounds camp at Rodeo time not for me , The money they must make would be lots more than a caravan park which offer much better and safer place to stay , If there was ever a fire at these sort of camps you would not get your rig out you would just have to run for your life
Brickies, obviously you must be hard to please. Obviously rodeo grounds at rodeo time are going to be packed. There were probably 500 odd vans, motorhomes, etc there this year plus heaps of tents but far less crowded than most caravan parks I've seen. As for cost, $110 for 7 days unpowered which included rodeo entry (both days) for my wife & myself. As for Corella Dam, great place. It must be magnificent when the dam is full. We spent a fortnight camped there waiting to go to the Isa rodeo to make a comparison between the two. Then camped at Isa rodeo grounds for the three days - bloody expensive both for rodeo entry & camping. Good rodeo but the committee could learn a lot from Mareeba. From there, we've done overnighters at Dajarra free camp (nice spot), Boulia free camp behind the racecourse (not bad), Hilton Hotel camp opposite the Middleton pub, presently at Long Waterhole near Winton (nice spot). Outback Queensland is bloody magnificent although in drought, we will definitely be back in a good season to see the difference.
Darrell & Sandra
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Love the bush & our native environment. Conservationist, not a bloody Greenie.
Yes mate there is 500 who would disagree with me which is probable 450 more than I would want to share with , I did find a caravan park in the area the cost not much more one of the best I have stayed in Walkamin central half way between Mareeba and Atherton
Welcome to the forum Wendy. I look forward to hearing more of your travels, and a big pat on the back for 'getting out there' with your ability issues.
I haven't stayed at Cloncurry, and rarely stay in CP's anyway. But I did like the Waltzing Matilda CP in Winton. Although we were a little packed in, the owners were great, and so was the entertainment from the bush poets in the evening, and the singer at happy hour.
Mareeba Showgrounds doesn't appeal to me either. I have no need to stay there as I have a friend in Malanda, but I did visit Jonathan there a couple of years ago, and thought it too open.
I prefer to camp somewhere with some shade trees and some water to look at/sit by. A river, creek or dam.
Definitely a good free camp spot , LLoyd Jones Weir at Barcaladine , we are camped on a property not far from there, great to see the outback is enjoyed by lots of people....
-- Edited by Renrut on Friday 16th of August 2013 07:48:57 PM
Presently at Lloyd Jones Weir, Barcaldine. Lovely spot even though the water is low. Definitely on the must visit list once a good season occurs. Long Waterhole at Winton is also a definite return visit sometime.
Darrell & Sandra
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Love the bush & our native environment. Conservationist, not a bloody Greenie.
Welcome to the forum from us too wendy trezise. Glad you have had a good time and hope it continues even if it gets cooler. This is a great forum so hope you enjoy it.
Loved Corella but as for LLoyd-Jones! the year we drove in there we were looked at as though we should not have even tried to look for a spot. Talk about crowded & the majority looked as though they had been there for weeks. Mitchell Weir is a favourite of ours as it Lake Elphinstone. Can't wait to get home to QLD.
